Swelter
ARC provided by author to facilitate this review
I married the right brother.
At least that's what I tell myself at night, when I stare at the ceiling and listen to the rhythm of the grandfather clock down the hall. It never feels like the mere passage of time, but a countdown towards something inevitable.
Bobby Lightly is selfish, irresponsible, and careless. I haven't seen him since the day I married his brother. He slipped out during the wedding reception without a word.
A year later, I heard Bobby was drafted to Korea. He never said goodbye. Never sent a letter. We had all come to terms with the fact that he was probably dead somewhere, either a victim of the war or its aftermath.
That is, until in the midst of an unrelenting heatwave, he showed up at the doorstep of the house I lived in with his brother.
Everyone thinks I'm cruel. Everyone thinks I should be easy on him. They think I don't understand him. They all think I hate him.
But what no one understands is that it was Bobby who broke my heart.
And I think he's back to do it again.
It’s a 5 Alarm Read!
I’m switching things up a little bit today! I read and LOVED Swelter by Nina G. Jones, as I’m sure you’ve heard me shouting from the mountaintops. So I teamed up with my girl Roxie from Schmexy Girl Book Blog for a SCHMEXY SIREN review! I have a Q&A with Nina here on the blog, so when you’re finished reading that, click the graphic to hop on over to Schmexy to read our thoughts on this amazing novel!
Q&A with Nina G. Jones
1) The setting of this book is practically a character in itself. Was there a certain inspiration for it?
I’m glad you see it that way as that was the goal. There wasn’t a particular inspiration, but I wanted to have a book with a distinct ambiance. I just had a thought that I would love to write a book where the environment was a character. The actual characters are always hot and sweaty, the heat constantly bearing down on them. In the same vein, the era the book is set in affects the characters and their decisions.
I think people have a tendency to break down characters into simple terms (alpha v. beta, weak v. strong). Here I think the setting interrupts that. It might be easy for some of us to say “just leave him,” or “she shouldn’t have married so and so,” from the comforts of life in 2015. But the setting puts a pressure on the characters apart from the plot itself. Women in this day and age stay in loveless marriages, so one could imagine how hard it would have been to leave then.
2) Was the storyline clear to you from the start? Or did it throw you for a loop as you were writing?
The setting came first. I actually sat on it for a year, unsure of the story itself. Then the idea of a brother coming into their life. I sat on that for a while. Finally, out of nowhere the plot hit me and I grabbed my laptop and couldn’t type fast enough. I will say I didn’t know exactly how things would end until about 40-50% in.
3) Your storylines are all so varied. Which book was your favorite to write?
They all have a special place, but I would say DEBT and Swelter are a tie. They just came to me like a bolt of lightning. Inspiration is a frenzied and crazy place to be. Gorgeous Rotten Scoundrel was fun to write, because it’s a fun book. It was a nice break to write about the high life in the Hamptons!
4) Do you have any “must haves” while you’re writing?
I am a basic bitch when it comes to writing. My laptop and most of the times music, sometimes quiet. Sometimes I need an outline, other times I don’t. I don’t like to snack. I know that’s a big thing, but I don’t want to get my fingers messy while typing! Haha.
5) What’s coming next from Nina Jones?
That’s a good question. I have a few storylines I am sitting on. I really don’t know until one hits me. I try not to pressure myself and let the plot come to me.
Click here to read our review at Schmexy Girl Book Blog!
[…] Mo’s Interview With Nina! […]